


Curiouser and Curiouser

by modelkyun



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Short Chapters, Tattoos, changki rise, i love you all almost as much as i love changki, pining kihyun is the best kihyun, please leave me comments i love any and all of them, this is more practice so please don't be harsh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-06-21 02:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15547200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modelkyun/pseuds/modelkyun
Summary: “You’re my professor and you have this really intricate looking tattoo poking out of your shirt but i can’t tell what it is and so after a few weeks it finally drives me insane enough to ask about it and you tell me you’ll explain it at the end of the semester if i get an A”





	1. I

It’s only the first ten minutes of Intro to Chem, and Yoo Kihyun is already having a hard time. 

No, it’s not because of a crazy syllabus, or the fact that there are only 3 tests, each counting for 15% of the grade in the class—although that was a major problem—none of those were as big as the actual problem at hand. How had Kihyun gotten himself stuck with a teacher like this?

Professor Im was the youngest professor at the university, and by far the most attractive. Boys and girls alike had their eyes on him. The moment he walked into the room, all attention was on him, and Kihyun swore he heard some starstruck sighs from his surroundings. He himself was feeling a little warm, his collar a bit snug around his throat. 

Was he really going to have to deal with 175 centimeters of sexiness all semester? It didn’t help that Professor Im was dressed in extremely fitted black slacks, with an equally fitted dark grey button up shirt. If Kihyun had known how actually attractive Professor Im was going to be, he would not have signed up for this course. He was most definitely not getting any work done this semester.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Gen Chem, for those of you who are taking it for the first time, I’m Im Changkyun, call me Professor Im. And hello again, to those of you who I saw last semester. Hopefully this semester treats you better, and you in fact won’t have to have a 3rd attempt at this course,” Changkyun introduced himself.

Kihyun saw the professor’s eyes wander somewhere near him and looked to his right, seeing two of his classmates from previous courses Minhyuk and Jooheon sheepishly bowing their heads. Kihyun had a moment of mild panic. Minhyuk retaking this course wasn’t too alarming, but the fact that Jooheon was also retaking this course had Kihyun a bit concerned. 

“I expect everyone to have the textbook by next class. If you are not able to own your own copy, the library has multiple copies for you to check out for a two-hour period, and I suggest making copies of as many chapters as possible. I also expect everyone to have read the second half of the first chapter by next class. We will be going over the first half together right now. I also expect consistent attendance, because if you do not attend class, I cannot guarantee you will pass the course. Does everyone understand,” Changkyun asked, with a straight face, almost borderline irritated.

The class collectively let out scattered noises of confirmation, some determined, some nervous. After Changkyun was satisfied with the response, he began teaching. It was only an hour and a half long lecture, but to Kihyun, who was having trouble concentrating on the material, it was going by extremely slow. Kihyun was too busy focusing on Professor Im’s pants hugging in all the right places to even realize that he had stopped taking notes about 10 minutes ago. This was definitely not the best first class. Kihyun forced himself to keep his eyes either on the presentation on the screen or his notebook. But while his eyes focused on writing notes, the rest of his body fixated on Professor Im’s deep, rich voice. The concentration on Professor Im’s voice caused goosebumps to erupt all over Kihyun’s skin.  
“Alright, does anyone have any questions,” asked Changkyun, looking out into the crowd. 

Kihyun timidly raised his hand, focusing on the point right behind Professor Im’s head to avoid staring right into his eyes.

“Yes, what is your question,” Changkyun prompted.

“Will any of the presentations be available online,” Kihyun questioned, hoping he didn’t screw up by asking a stupid question.

“No. I do not believe in posting these presentations online for everyone, even the students who decided not to show up. It is unfair to you all who put in an effort to be in class. Anyone else,” Changkyun questioned.

Not a single hand went up, everyone nervously looking at random points in the room, avoiding Professor Im’s gaze. “Good. Dismissed.”

This was going to be one long semester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this junk. It's probably still full of mistakes so please feel free to point them out to me. Like always, please leave me comments, I'll read and reply to them all when I can. I love seeing what you guys think of my writing. And come scream at me about changki on [twitter](http://twitter.com/modeikyun) please I need more changki friends (or just friends) in my life.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re my professor and you have this really intricate looking tattoo poking out of your shirt but i can’t tell what it is and so after a few weeks it finally drives me insane enough to ask about it and you tell me you’ll explain it at the end of the semester if i get an A” AU  
> http://cineastette.tumblr.com/post/131763965592/a-list-of-college-aus-based-on-things-that-have

Class day two went just as agonizingly slow and difficult as class day one. Kihyun continued to be heavily distracted by Professor Im, only this time, he managed to keep up with the presentation and take decent notes. Professor Im was unsurprisingly intelligent, with a natural teaching ability. He was able to convey even the hardest concepts with ease, at least to Kihyun. He saw some other students struggling to keep up with class material and could only hope those students made it through.

Going into the second week, after having a whole weekend to think about Professor Im nonstop, Kihyun boldly decided that he would try to at least be friends with Professor Im. They were not that far apart in age, and Kihyun would rather give in to his urges than fight them. Maybe that way he would actually manage to keep said urges under control.

On class day four, Kihyun put a little extra effort into himself. He wore black jeans with a few rips in exactly the right places, a white tank top, with a yellow denim jacket. He even went so far as to style is jet black hair up and off of his forehead, putting on earrings and one simple swipe of eyeliner on his waterline. After class was over, Kihyun waited until most of the students had filed out, telling Jooheon and Minhyuk to go on without him, that he would catch up with them later.

“Professor Im, may I talk to you for one second?” Kihyun questioned.

“Yes, what can I help you with,” Changkyun replied, pausing his work to give Kihyun his attention.

“It’s kind of sad that it’s only the beginning of the class and I’m asking, but I was wondering if you have any recommendations for extra work that I can do to understand the material,” Kihyun asked, hoping for a positive response.

“I didn’t make this clear at the beginning of the course Mr. Yoo, but unfortunately, I do not give out extra credit. I do not believe in it,” Changkyun said, continuing to pack up his stuff, scowling at the thought of extra credit.

Kihyun panicked. He didn’t mean to annoy Professor Im, and just wanted to initiate a conversation. He could feel his own gears turning, trying to figure out a way to keep the conversation going and trying to steer it in a more positive direction.

“Wait, I don’t really mean extra credit! I just mean actual, extra practice, so I know that I’ve grasped the material,” Kihyun suggested, hoping this made things a little better.

Changkyun packed away silently, lost in thought. “I’ve never really had many students ask me for something like this, without extra credit, but if you are truly interested in some extra practice, send me an email and I’ll give you some websites to explore,” Changkyun offered, pleasantly shocked at Kihyun’s words.

Kihyun breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded his head enthusiastically. “Thank you so much Professor. I really appreciate it,” Kihyun said, excitement clear in his voice.

“Of course, Mr. Yoo. I will see you next class,” Changkyun said, picking up his bag and exiting the lecture hall.

 _Thank god,_ Kihyun thought. _That went better than expected._

 

Kihyun had successfully emailed Professor Im, without making a fool of himself, and had gotten a very overwhelming response from him. There were websites, keyword searches, textbook pages and answer keys, to help Kihyun with extra practice. Since he had gotten the email just a few hours before the fourth class day, he decided to thank Professor Im in person, so he would have another excuse to talk to him.

Kihyun once again went up to Professor Im after the lecture hall had emptied out, heart beating quicker than it should. “Professor Im,” Kihyun called out hesitantly.

“Yes, Mr. Yoo,” Changkyun replied, looking up from his bag at Kihyun.

“I got your email and wanted to say thank you for all of the extra resources. They’ll really help me a lot, I think,” Kihyun stated, ending with a wide smile.

Professor Im flashed his own bright smile back. “Of course. I am happy to help a student such as yourself, clearly interested in learning the material and not just looking for a passing grade. You don’t see that much often anymore,” Changkyun rambled, noticeably proud to have someone give him a request like Kihyun had.

“I’ll see how it goes and get back to you on the…” Kihyun stopped, mid sentence.

**_What the fuck._ **

What is that on his arm? Is that a speck of dust? An accidental dry erase marker or pen mark? Why is there a little bit of red poking out now? What is happening?

“Mr. Yoo, you were saying,” Changkyun questioned, raising and eyebrow at Kihyun.

“What. Oh, yes, right, I uh…I’ll let you know how the extra practice goes,” Kihyun finished quickly, shaking his head and fixating his eyes back on Professor Im’s face.

“Good, I’m looking forward to hearing about your progress,” Changkyun said, finishing off the conversation.

Kihyun turned around and started walking towards the hall doors. He paused with his hand on the handle, his other fiddling with the strap of his backpack. The curiosity was killing him.

“Professor Im,” Kihyun questioned, voice trembling.

“Yes,” Changkyun hummed, continuing to pack his bags.

“Is that,” Kihyun started, turning around to face Professor Im. “Is that a tattoo?”

Changkyun froze for a second, glancing at his forearm. He stared for just one second before moving again.

“Um, yes actually it is. I’m surprised you noticed,” Changkyun said, voice steady.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is it,” Kihyun asked cautiously, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line.

Changkyun hesitated. Kihyun could sense that it made Professor Im just slightly uncomfortable to talk about it, but Professor Im straightened up and walked to the door.  


“Let’s make a deal, since you look so curious and intrigued. For every A you make on a test, I’ll tell you about one of them,” Changkyun suggested, mouth set in a small smirk.

“I-I…okay,” Kihyun said, body tense at the proximity.

“And I see the shark tooth on your middle finger. You have to tell me about that one, when I tell you about all of mine,” Changkyun tilted his head at Kihyun, eyes focused on his hand.

“S-sure, yeah, alright,” Kihyun sputtered.

“We have a deal, then, Mr. Yoo. See you next time,” Changkyun said, tipping his head in greeting, and walking out the door.

Kihyun stood frozen. Just how many tests is he going to have to pass?


	3. III

What the fuck. **_What the fuck._**

 

A tattoo? Tattoos? As in plural? What alternate universe had Kihyun stepped into?

 

Professor Im was really an enigma. It’s been two weeks, and Kihyun is still trying to sneak a peek at Professor Im’s tattoos. It’s a bit embarrassing if he thinks about all the times he’s tried to see just a little bit more of the tattoo every lecture. He can’t help but be extremely curious.

 

“Okay class, now I have a few more announcements for you all regarding the upcoming test,” Changkyun spoke.

 

Right. The first test. Thank goodness Kihyun wouldn’t have to wait too much longer to find out what the hell Professor Im had tatted on him.

 

“Test 1 will be next lecture, and it will be over the material from the first 3 chapters, such as scientific notation, significant figures, conversion factors and some density and temperature. I hope you all had little trouble understanding the material and gained extra practice from the hands-on labs we’ve had. Please bring a scantron and pencil, I will provide any extra scratch paper if needed. Any questions,” Changkyun asked the class.

 

No one raised a hand.

 

“Well, if there are no questions, you are all dismissed,” Changkyun announced, while beginning to pack his own bag.

 

Kihyun packed up a little slower than usual, and was once again the last student to leave the lecture hall.

 

“Mr. Yoo, I’m looking forward to seeing an A on your test, I hope you haven’t forgotten,” Changkyun mentioned.

 

“Of course not Professor, there’s so much that depends on my grade on this test,” Kihyun claimed, glad that Professor Im also remembered the deal that was made. “I’ve been doing tons and tons of extra practice through the resources you’ve sent me,” Kihyun informed, lifting his chin slightly.

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Changkyun said, brushing past Kihyun, who almost fainted at the whiff of cologne he got as Professor Im walked by. Kihyun needed to know what cologne that was immediately, so he could invest in a bottle and spray some on his pillow every night.

 

Kihyun tries to convince himself that’s not creepy and lets out a squeaky “see you next time professor!”

 

 

 

It’s the night before the exam. Kihyun has already spent an unnatural amount of time working through the extra practice that Professor Im had given him and moving on to things he had found himself when he finished with those. He studied like he never has before. He needed that A.

 

Kihyun decided at around 1 am that there was nothing else he could possibly study and decided to finally finish his cram session. He wondered if he’d be able to even sleep, and when he realized he was probably going to lay in bed awake for a couple of hours, he decided taking a shower. Showers helped him get drowsy and he was hoping it would help him fall asleep faster instead of him being forced to stare at the wall.

 

Kihyun finished his shower and felt relaxed and prepared for tomorrow. There was nothing that was going to get in between him and finding out what the tattoo is and why Professor Im had gotten it. It was also a plus that he was going to ace the test, but that was secondary. Kihyun fell asleep dreaming of all the tattoos Professor Im could have.

 

 

 

 

 

Test day had arrived. Kihyun walked into the lecture hall and up to Professor Im’s desk, where he picked up a couple sheets of scratch paper and handed his ID to a TA, as was required with such a big class size. He got his calculator checked and nodded in greeting to Professor Im, getting a nod and a smile in return. Kihyun almost melted in his spot at the smile.

 

“Good luck Mr. Yoo,” Changkyun remarked with a grin.

 

“Thank you, Professor. I think I’ll do okay,” Kihyun replied, making his way to his spot.

 

A few minutes passed before Professor Im walked to the doors of the lecture hall, pausing to poke his head outside, hoping to catch any last second stragglers. When he found none he closed the door, and Kihyun prayed a little that everyone who needed to be in here for the test made it. Professor Im made his way back to the front of the class and began speaking.

 

“Okay class, welcome to the first exam of the semester. I hope you all grasped the material well, because this was the foundation of all that you will be learning for the rest of the semester. I will have the TAs walking around, as will I, to ensure no foul play. Please don’t disappoint me and act with integrity. Please write the test version somewhere near your name on the scantron and begin. Good luck, and you have exactly one hour and twenty minutes,” Changkyun said, watching as the TAs passed out tests row by row.

 

Kihyun received his test and started almost immediately.

 

Scientific notations for the entire first page. Easy. Five point five times ten to the negative fifth plus three point two times ten to the eighth. Done. Convert zero point zero five eight six one nine two to scientific notation. Done. Kihyun breezed through the section.

 

He continued to conversion factors, then to density, then to temperature. He knew what he was doing, and it felt amazing, because he had never taken a test knowing every last detail about the material.

 

As Kihyun finished and went back through to double check his work, he suddenly noticed Professor Im’s cologne, and was surprised to see him standing just a row ahead, making his way up the steps. He passed by Kihyun, watching someone with suspicion towards the middle of the row, not looking at Kihyun. A few minutes passed while Kihyun continued to check his work and Professor Im reappeared, this time going the opposite direction. He took a glance at Kihyun’s paper and nodded subtly in approval, an almost unnoticeable smirk adorning his lips as he walked towards the front. He gave Kihyun a slight wink, and Kihyun almost slumped in his chair unconscious. He has to finish and get out of here before he causes a scene.

 

Kihyun finished double checking and started packing up, finally realizing that he was the first one finished while everyone else was still furiously scribbling away. Man did he feel powerful right now.

 

Kihyun turned in his test and all other papers, ready to get out. He waved to Professor Im as he exited the lecture hall, getting another smirk and small wave in return.

 

And now to wait.


	4. IV

Kihyun walked into the next lecture looking lethal. He was dressed in fitting dark jeans, a white button up, white converse, and his hair was once again up and away from his forehead, making his undercut more visible. He knew he had aced this test and was ready to see Professor Im after class. Of course, he doesn’t know his grade yet, but he can feel the triumph down to his bones.

 

As soon as he walked into lecture and passed by Professor Im’s podium, he heard a low whisper.

 

“Mr. Yoo,”

 

“Yes, Professor Im,”

 

“I would appreciate if you would stay after class for a few minutes, if you don’t mind.”

 

His face was unreadable. Kihyun saw no trace of emotion, and got a bit nervous, hoping he did in fact pass and was able to see the first tattoo.

 

“Of course, Professor,” Kihyun said, bowing a little and walking to his seat next to Jooheon.

 

As soon as he sat down, Jooheon nudged him in the arm and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Everything okay hyung,” Jooheon questioned. “You look a bit spooked, did something happen?”

 

“I’m fine, just anxious to find out my test grade from last week. I think I did okay, but you never know,” came a half truth. Jooheon didn’t need to know about his agreement with Professor Im, because even if he told only Jooheon, Minhyuk would find out, which meant he wouldn’t hear the end of it. Minhyuk would probably try to play a horrible game of matchmaker to go with it.

 

“You probably did fine, hyung. You were the first one done, and Professor Im had a proud look on his face when he saw you get up to turn in your test,” Jooheon revealed.

 

Kihyun felt a little bit better knowing Professor Im reacted like that last week. He was however, nervous because what happens when he finally gets to see Professor Im’s tattoo? What if it was something stupid, something ridiculous like a cartoon character?

 

**_It doesn’t matter, just focus on lecture._ **

 

Kihyun continued to be jittery throughout the lecture. He started clicking his pen and moved on to shaking his leg at Jooheon’s threat of “Hyung, I _will_ take that pen and fling it across the room if you do not stop.” He continued to shake his leg until Minhyuk let out a drawn out sigh and dug around his backpack, handing Kihyun a single stick of gum and whispering an intense “ _Calm the fuck down._ ”

 

Although painfully slow, lecture finally came to an end, and Kihyun couldn’t wait to get out of his seat.

 

“Okay all, I have not finished grading your tests, but I will finish by tonight and grades will be posted by tomorrow morning at the latest. Of what I have seen so far, it was a pretty successful test. Some of you did very well, and I hope to see the ones I have not graded continue that standard. I will see you all next lecture.”

 

Kihyun took his time to pack up his things, movements a bit delayed. He urged Jooheon and Minhyuk to continue without him, as he wanted to see if his was one of the tests that was already graded to see his result. After the room emptied out, Kihyun finally rose to his feet and nervously made his way over to Professor Im, his heart pounding in his ears. As he reached the bottom of the steps, Professor Im finished sorting through a stack of papers. “Mr. Yoo,’ stated Changkyun, handing Kihyun a small packet, scantron and test booklet stapled together.

 

Kihyun hesitated for a second, regaining control over his breathing and glancing down at his test.

 

A very clear 91% stared back at him. Kihyun released the breath he had been holding, smile spreading across his lips.

 

“Congratulations, Mr. Yoo. It was very well deserved, you worked extremely hard for it, even though it might have just been to see one of my tattoos,” Changkyun joked.

 

“Thank you Professor Im, I promise it wasn’t just to see your tattoo, I really wanted to get this grade,” Kihyun said, hoping to convince Professor Im he really wanted to impress him.

 

“Well, I guess I have my half of the deal to uphold, and you’ve deserved it,” Changkyun said, as he walked out from behind his desk.

 

Professor Im seemed just a bit nervous as well. Of course, not Kihyun’s level of nervous, but Kihyun could sense it. Professor Im was facing his desk, back towards Kihyun, and seemed to be preparing himself. “Professor Im, if you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to show me. I am curious, but I don’t want to make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Kihyun offered. He really didn’t want to out Professor Im in a situation of discomfort, but Professor Im turned to Kihyun with a smile, dimples suddenly presenting themselves. Kihyun almost let out a dreamy sigh at the sight of them.

 

“I’m not uncomfortable, Kihyun, not at all,” Changkyun stated, starting to pull his cardigan off his shoulders.

 

“Here it is,” Changkyun said, presenting his arm.

 

Kihyun gasped. He was absolutely mesmerized. Tendrils of red and black trailed up and around Professor Im’s forearm and up to his bicep. Kihyun studied the detail and understood the amount of thought that went into this particular piece clearly, seeing small scales and beautiful curves.

 

“A serpent,” Kihyun breathed, reaching out slowly, before retracting his arm back towards himself.

 

“You can touch it if you’d like, I don’t mind,” Changkyun said, extending his arm out further to Kihyun.

 

Kihyun reached out with his fingertips to touch the scales right near Professor Im’s elbow. Before he could fully touch, there was a static shock where his fingers touched, and Kihyun and Professor Im both hissed and jumped away from each other. “Sorry, that was probably from my cardigan,” Changkyun apologized sheepishly.

 

Kihyun didn’t reply, and just moved his hand back to run his fingertips over the scales, following the body of the serpent slowly, tracing the scales and outlines of it. The static shock was short, but Kihyun could still feel the current running through him where his fingers touched Professor Im, travelling throughout his whole body.

 

“It’s a serpent, yes,” Changkyun whispered, a bit breathless. “Representing envy, one of the seven deadly sins. I have an older brother who was the perfect child of the family, and I was always envious of the little bit of extra love he constantly received from our parents, even though I received enough love as well. I became more successful than him, but something was always wrong with me in my family’s eyes, so I designed and got this tattoo to remind myself that I am happy with who I am and should not be envious of him all the time. I have my own strengths, and I should appreciate them,” Changkyun explained, still affected by Kihyun who hadn’t ceased to run his fingers along the tattoo.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Kihyun whispered, still enamored. “And you designed it,” Kihyun asked, slightly surprised.

 

“I did,” Changkyun confessed. “I had a phase during my life where all I did was sketch flowers and animal and became skilled at drawing, and continued to practice it, and sketched not only this one, but a few for my friends,” Changkyun said.

 

The art lover in Kihyun stepped out and became even more attracted to Professor Im. He was going to go crazy.

 

“Thank you for showing me,” Kihyun said, voice dripping with gratitude.

 

“I’m glad you liked it. People in my field usually judge me for this, but I’ve learned to live with it, and show them I could look like this and still outdo them any day. Now, what’s the story behind yours,” Changkyun questioned with a smirk as he put his cardigan back on.

 

“Oh, uh, this one was my first one, it’s of a shark tooth I found on the beach as a kid, when I was really into marine life and the ocean,” Kihyun confessed, a bit embarrassed.

 

Professor Im reached out and held Kihyun’s hand, rubbing his thumb up and down the tattoo, placed on the top section of Kihyun’s right middle finger.

 

“That’s very nice, something you found yourself,” Changkyun said, looking up at Kihyun with a smile, not letting go of Kihyun’s hand.

 

Suddenly, the doorknob shook, indicating someone trying to open the locked door, and Professor Im and Kihyun flinched away from each other. Kihyun already missed the touch of his professor but looked to him and saw a bit of fear in his eyes at the sudden twist of the doorknob.

 

“Well, congratulations again Mr. Yoo, I look forward to seeing another A on the next test, and another meeting like this,” Changkyun said, packing up the last of his things and taking the test back from Kihyun.

 

“S-sure, I’ll see you next lecture, Professor Im,” Kihyun stuttered.

 

Kihyun left immediately, rushing out of the door to get outside and fix his breathing. He was already anxious and impatient for the next test.

 

**_I need another A._ **


	5. V

 

Slowly but surely, Kihyun and Professor Im started spending a few minutes after every lecture, getting to know each other a little more. Kihyun found out Professor Im is 25 years old but graduated early with a double master’s in chemistry and, surprisingly, creative writing. He works in the university research lab, and writes poems in his limited free time, away from the lab and teaching. His poems had caught the eyes of his music producer best friends, who ended up using some of them as lyrics for some of the songs they produced.

 

“Maybe you’ll hear them in an idol song suddenly one day,” Kihyun joked.

 

“I actually did once! It wasn’t a very popular group, but it was still a pretty proud moment for me,” Changkyun admitted. “Sometimes they really pester me for them when they’re stuck and can’t get the right words for something.”

 

“Amazing. That’s so cool,” Kihyun said.

 

“Enough about me, what are you working on right now to be put in my class,” Changkyun questioned.

 

“I’m working on a double bachelor’s in environmental sciences and vocal performance,” Kihyun admitted.

 

“Wow, that’s quite unique! I guess you expanded on your interest in marine life and the ocean. But vocal performance? What brought that on,” Changkyun wondered, interest piqued.

 

“I’ve been singing as long as I can remember. Participated in many, many festivals and loved performing, but my parents wanted something good for me to fall back on, so I decided to build on my already existing love for not just marine life, but the earth,” Kihyun confessed.

 

“If you don’t mind me asking, for our meeting after the next test, can I ask you to sing for me along with showing me a tattoo? I’d love to hear your voice. Unless it makes you uncomfortable of course,” Changkyun requested.

 

“O-oh, of course I can! Do you have any specific requests in mind,” Kihyun asked.

 

“Hmmm…how about one of my favorites,” Changkyun asked, deep in thought.

 

“And what would that be,” Kihyun questioned, extremely curious.

 

“Bruno Mars. It Will Rain,” Changkyun said, proud smile painting his face.

 

“Oh, I see we have a closet Twilight fan,” Kihyun teased, chuckling a bit.

 

“Listen, that song is an absolute masterpiece, and Bruno Mars is one of the best,” Changkyun defended, tips of his ears turning pink.

 

“Okay, okay, I’ll take your word for it, and even if I don’t make an A, I’ll be ready to sing for you next time,” Kihuyn offered.

 

“I will definitely look forward to it Mr. Yoo,” Changkyun confessed.

 

“See you next lecture Professor Im,” Kihyun bid goodbye, feeling like his head was in the clouds.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yoo Kihyun was attractive. There was simply no other adjective to describe him, no word effective enough to encompass Kihyun’s being, so Changkyun had to settle with it. The list of adjectives also included, cute, handsome, beautiful, charming, adorable, but Changkyun generalized everything into one umbrella term; attractive. Kihyun the 22-year-old environmental sciences major, with a killer voice (Changkyun assumes, for no other reason than he can).

 

The first day of lecture already had Changkyun weak in the knees, seeing Kihyun stroll in, attracting all of Changkyun’s attention. Despite the distraction, Changkyun had kept his cool, even when Kihyun had sought him out, looking delicious, and inquiring about extra practice. Changkyun was surprised when Kihyun had noticed his tattoo peeking out of his sleeve and came up with a proposition to show him one tattoo for every passed test. Anything to prolong his time with Kihyun.

 

While Changkyun was walking around the lecture hall during the first exam, he couldn’t stop himself from taking repeated glances at Kihyun taking his test. Changkyun watched as Kihyun stared at his paper in concentration, wiggling his pen in his hand and brandishing the cutest walnut on his chin. Kihyun’s lips pursed and made him look even cuter, and it was deadly for Changkyun, who felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

 

The day they both revealed their first tattoos was extremely detrimental to Changkyun’s well-being. Every few minutes, Changkyun had a heart attack and a half, thinking about Kihyun and how he would get to know the story behind the interesting tattoo. Changkyun had felt the sudden static shock much more than he expected, sheepishly blaming it on his cardigan but hoping it was in reality much more than just his cardigan. The tingling feeling given by the static shock had run through his bones, leaving a warm, lingering feeling. As logical and scientific Changkyun is, he couldn’t make any sense of it other than a spark, a connection that cannot be explained by just science.

 

Changkyun considered himself the luckiest man on earth when Kihyun accepted his proposal to sing for him. It was something he would definitely look forward to, and not stop thinking about. After spending more and more time with Kihyun after lectures, Changkyun felt increasingly attracted to Kihyun. He knows it’s wishful thinking, but he could only hope Kihyun was at least a little bit attracted to him.


	6. VI

Two weeks. Two weeks had gone by and there was no sign of Kihyun. No rushed email explaining his absences, no prior notice. He just stopped showing.

 

Changkyun was worried, to say the least. Not only did Changkyun miss their after lecture conversations, but he was also concerned something had happened to the boy. He assumed Kihyun to be proactive enough to let Changkyun know beforehand if he was going to be missing two weeks of class, but there was no notification, neither in person nor online. Kihyun hadn’t been in class, and there was a test, just a week from next lecture. 

 

But Changkyun didn’t reach out. He wanted to reach out, but held himself back from emailing Kihyun, convincing himself that the boy just had an emergency, and didn’t have time to notify Changkyun. All he really hoped was nothing serious had happened to him. If Kihyun wanted to talk, Changkyun was available.

 

Changkyun walked into what he felt would be the third week without Kihyun in lecture, and without making it obvious that he was looking for someone, did a sweep of the students sitting in the lecture hall. His eyes paused on a familiar face, closer to the back. Kihyun was wearing all black, and had his hair tucked away in a black beanie. His shoulders were hunched, and he was leaned so far back Changkyun wondered if his butt was even on the seat. Kihyun might have looked a bit glum, but at least Changkyun knew the boy was safe and sound.

 

Changkyun started lecture, focusing on the material instead of the boy he was so glad to see finally back in lecture. Lecture ended up feeling like a drag, and Changkyun was getting impatient trying to get through the material so he could talk to Kihyun and maybe figure out what happened, if he could comfort the boy in any way. Changkyun found a good stopping point, and allowed himself to dismiss class a few minutes early, hearing some students sigh in relief.

 

He saw Kihyun pack up his stuff and try to get out without being noticed, but as Kihyun was climbing down the stairs with the hood of his jacket covering his head, Changkyun caught him just before he could slip away. “Mr. Yoo, a moment of your time please,” Changkyun asked, seeing Kihyun’s body tense up slightly, as he requested Kihyun to stay behind a few minutes.

 

The lecture hall emptied out not too long after Changkyun had stopped Kihyun, appreciating that everyone left so quickly. When Changkyun was sure it was empty, he approached Kihyun from behind, who was leaning against the podium at the front of the lecture hall. He placed a hand on Kihyun’s shoulder, causing him to startle a bit. “Kihyun,” Changkyun questioned. “Are you doing okay,” Changkyun asked, hoping to get an answer.

 

“I’m fine,” Kihyun murmured, hoodie still up and efficiently covering his face.

 

“Are you sure,” Changkyun asked as confirmation. He tugged a bit on Kihyun’s shoulder to get him to turn around, and that’s when he saw Kihyun’s eyes, rimmed red, and watery. Changkyun reacted quickly, pulling him into a quick hug, bringing Kihyun’s head onto his collarbone, feeling Kihyun’s nose press against his nape.

 

He heard Kihyun gasp, and after a small pause, he felt Kihyun clutch onto the back of Changkyun’s blazer, bunching it up into his fists. Kihyun pressed closer into Changkyun, sniffling, and letting a few tears fall as his breathing quickened the slightest bit. One of Changkyun’s hands held Kihyun around his shoulder, his thumb moving up and down, rubbing his shoulder, while the other held his head, as he swayed them both back and forth extremely gently. Changkyun whispered variations of “You’re gonna be okay, it’s gonna be alright,” into Kihyun’s ear, as his breathing went back to normal and he was reduced to just sniffling again.

 

Soon, much too soon, Kihyun pulled away and rubbed at his eyes furiously, trying to get rid of any tears that might have been left behind. “Sorry,” Kihyun mumbled, “I didn’t mean to hug you for so long,” he apologized.

 

“Don’t apologize, Kihyun, I wouldn’t have minded it, as long as you need,” Changkyun said. “Now, would you like to tell me exactly what’s wrong? Only if you want to,” Changkyun prodded, hoping for some sort of answer, so he would know just how to comfort Kihyun.

 

“It’s fine, it’s alright, I don’t want to burden you with anything, I can deal with it on my own, please don’t worry,” Kihyun rushed out, waving his hand weakly in front of him.

 

“Kihyun,” Changkyun said sternly. “If it was a burden on me to know, I would not have asked. And clearly you’re not faring very well dealing with it on your own. So, tell me, what’s wrong,” Changkyun asked again, one hand placed on Kihyun’s shoulder thumb still rubbing.

 

“Well,” Kihyun hesitated. “I had been driving around with my niece one day while my brother was in town, and we got in an accident. Neither of us were hurt, but I got so scared that she could have gotten hurt, I had nightmares for a couple of nights and had trouble driving for a couple of weeks because it gave me anxiety. But I’m much better than I was, and I’m back,” Kihyun explained.

 

“I’m so glad you both are okay. I hope that time off was enough to heal, because that is not an easy situation to be in. Are you sure you don’t need more time off,” Changkyun questioned.

 

“No, Professor, I’m really okay. I guess I just needed a hug and a cry because I don’t have any of my friends around in town to comfort me, so thank you,” Kihyun confessed gratefully.

 

“Anytime, Kihyun, anytime. I mean it,” Changkyun said, hoping his voice sounded convincing enough. “Now, you realize the test is in a week? Think you can ace it,” Changkyun playfully questioned.

 

Kihyun was so grateful for Professor Im changing the subject. It was embarrassing that he had held onto his Professor like a koala, possibly making him uncomfortable, and cried in front of him like that. Even if his Professor provided him with the most comfort he’s had these past few weeks. “I’ll be fine! I’ve still been studying. I’m going to ace this one too, and you’re going to have to tell me about one of your other tattoos,” Kihyun said excitedly.

 

“Yes, yes, I will. I very clearly remember our deal, but do you? You have to sing for me, even exchange,” Changkyun teased.

 

“Oh, I do remember. But can I ask something,” Kihyun questioned.

 

“Sure.”

 

“Where is the next tattoo you’re going to show me,” Kihyun asked curiously.

 

“I haven’t decided which one yet. Maybe the one on my ankle, or the one on the back of my shoulder, or…” Changkyun trailed off, grabbing his packed up things and walking towards Kihyun, placing his lips close to his ear and whispering. “Maybe I can show you the one on my Adonis belt,” Changkyun offered, leaving a wide eyed Kihyun by the podium.

 

“I’ll see you next lecture Mr. Yoo,” Changkyun sing-songed on his way out of the lecture hall, smirking to himself.


	7. VII

Kihyun was definitely prepared for this test. Despite missing two whole weeks, he still spent most of it studying—and sleeping—so he did not fall behind.

 

The day of the second test went just as smoothly as the first, and Kihyun was once again the first to be finished. Professor Im gave him a wink and a smile on his way out, and it left Kihyun weak in the knees.

 

“So, what’s up with you and Professor Im,” Minhyuk questioned, trying not to sound too interested.

 

“What do you mean,” Kihyun said, pretending to be nonchalant.

 

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Jooheon and I know you stay five to ten minutes after every lecture." Minhyuk pointed out.

 

“Nothing is going on, absolutely nothing!" Kihyun protested, ears heating up. He was so glad he was in bed under his covers.

 

"Something is clearly up, Kihyun. You wouldn't protest this aggressively if there wasn't. I'm not going to leave you alone about it," Minhyuk teased, poking Kihyun's arm.

 

"Fine, I'll tell you, but you HAVE to promise not to tell anyone. Anyone," Kihyun exclaimed. He held out his pinky finger to ask for a promise.

 

"Does Jooheon apply to that rule? I hope not because I tell my Jooheony everything," Minhyuk said, eyeing Kihyun's had suspiciously.

 

"I know you're gonna tell him even if I say not to, so he is the only exception to the rule. The only one." Kihyun shook his hand a little, bringing attention back to his stretched out pinky.

 

"You got it." Minhyuk grabbed Kihyun's pinky with his own and stamped their thumbs together.

 

"Okay, so, Professor Im and I have an ongoing deal. On one of the first class days, I noticed his tattoo and asked him about it, and he said he'll show me if I ace the next test. Now, for every A on a test, he shows me one of his tattoos. And now that he knows my other major is vocal performance, he requested a song from me." Kihyun spoke with barely any breathes in between.

 

Minhyuk let out a whistle. "Wow. Okay. Was never expecting Professor Im to have a tattoo, and multiple at that."

 

"The first one I saw was gorgeous. I really want to see all of them at some point." Kihyun gushed, thinking back to the intricate serpent that gave him goosebumps when he traced it with his fingers.

 

“I bet some clothes will have to come off if you want to see them all,” Minhyuk said nonchalantly.

 

Kihyun starts sputtering. “W-what do you mean, what are you talking about, no they won’t!”

 

“Even if they don’t, you probably hope they will. Don’t think I don’t notice you undressing him with your eyes every damn lecture. You’re not the only one either,” Minhyuk stated, as if it was an insignificant fact everyone knew.

 

“Shut the fuck up Lee Minhyuk.”

 

“Hey, listen, the feelings are mutual, have you not noticed?”

 

Kihyun froze. “What?”

 

Minhyuk groaned. “You’re an idiot. On both exam days, he watched you walk out of the doors after turning in your exam, and on God, I saw him staring at your ass on the way out. My gaydar knew he was an ass man as soon as I saw him, and those incidents just confirmed my theory.”

 

Kihyun’s ears turned red first, and the more he rubbed them, the farther the red travelled until his whole face was a strong pink. “You’re lying.”

 

“I would not lie to you about this, Yoo Kihyun. We both know you need to get laid and need someone in your life to cuddle you, and care for you the way you do others. It’s about time you found someone that will hold your heart and protect it, not grab it and crush it.”

 

Why is Minhyuk so good at motivational speaking? Kihyun sighs.

 

“But Minhyuk…he’s my professor. Aren’t there rules about this kind of stuff? Any way I see it, it looks controversial.”

 

“There probably are. I’m not encouraging you to break the rules but aren’t you already compromised with the current deal?” Minhyuk pointed out.

 

“I wish you weren’t right.” Kihyun runs his hands through his hair and feels his stress levels rising.

 

“Here’s what you’ll do. We’ve got what, 10 weeks left? Wait out the semester. You need a year-long internship to graduate, so get one at the research lab, because I assume Professor Im works there?” Minhyuk questions. Kihyun nods and Minhyuk continues. “You won’t be his intern, but that’s your ticket to him. Use it.”

 

“Okay…okay I can do that. I can wait.” Kihyun says, assuring himself.

 

“Good. Now go the fuck to bed. We have lecture tomorrow.” Minhyuk deadpanned, making his way over to his own bed.

 

Kihyun switches off the lamp and turns over in his bed, hoping sleep will wash over him.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

“Mr. Yoo! A moment of your time please.” Changkyun says, as Kihyun packs up slowly, seeing that there’s a couple of other students asking some questions about lecture.

 

Minhyuk eyes Kihyun and shoots him a thumbs up with his free hand, while he gets dragged out by Jooheon with the other.

 

 

Kihyun waited patiently in the front row for about 5 minutes and walked up when the students were gone.

 

“And once again, congratulations Kihyun,” Changkyun said as he handed Kihyun’s test back to him, with a 95% circled at the top.

 

“Thank you, Professor, the test was actually pretty easy despite my absences,” Kihyun confessed.

 

“Well, I’m glad, because this was one of the harder tests this semester. Now, would you like to go first, or should I?”

 

Kihyun was nervous. He really hoped he wasn’t going to suddenly forget the lyrics and mess up and embarrass himself. He decided to go first, since he wanted to get it over with.

 

“I’ll go first.” Kihyun volunteered.

 

“Sure,” Changkyun said taking a seat. “Take it away.”

 

Kihyun cleared his throat a bit and warmed up his voice. Well, here goes nothing.

 

_If you ever leave me baby,_  
_Leave some morphine at my door_  
_'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication_  
_To realize what we used to have,_  
_We don't have it anymore._

Kihyun’s eyes were closed, as he poured his emotions into the lyrics.

_There's no religion that could save me_  
_No matter how long my knees are on the floor_  
_Ooh so keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'_  
_Will keep you by my side_  
_Will keep you from walkin' out the door._

_'Cause there'll be no sunlight_  
_If I lose you, baby_  
_There'll be no clear skies_  
_If I lose you, baby_  
_Just like the clouds_  
_My eyes will do the same, if you walk away_  
_Everyday it will rain_

 

 

“Well, I can tell you one thing. Vocal performance was a very well chosen major. That was amazing. Even better than the original.” Changkyun said, almost breathless.

 

“Thank you, Professor, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Kihyun said, rubbing the back of his neck and slightly blushing.

 

“Okay, well, I will be contacting you in the future about this. I think your singing and my rapping will match really well.”

 

“I’ll look forward to that, Professor,” Kihyun said, smiling the widest he ever has.

 

“My turn now. I decided on showing you the one on my ankle. I’m not too keen on stripping in the middle of my lecture hall at the moment, so maybe elsewhere next time.” Changkyun joked, rolled up his sleeves—conveniently baring his serpent tattoo—brought his left foot up and lifted his jeans just a bit to reveal the inside of his ankle.

 

It was the moon cycle. Simple line art of the moon cycle, arranged in a small circle, right around the protruding bone. Kihyun leaned down and reached out to touch, ran his pointer finger along the circle. “I like it, it’s simple, minimalistic.”

 

“Yeah, I had an astronomy phase in high school. I call everything a phase, but I never grow out of anything. I have more interests in my head than I do hairs on it. The moon is my best friend on most nights, providing me with company in the lab, or at home when I can’t sleep,” Changkyun said, watching Kihyun finger trace the circle over and over, their heads almost touching each other.

 

They both lifted their heads simultaneously, and Kihyun’s breath got caught in his throat when he saw that Professor Im was so close he could count his eyelashes, so close that he could feel Professor Im’s breath against his own lips.

 

Professor Im’s eyes flickered to Kihyun’s lips when he darted his tongue out to run it across the corner of his lip. Professor Im hesitated for a second and tilted his head a few degrees, closing the dangerously short gap and pressing his lips to Kihyun’s.

 

Kihyun responded immediately, sighing through his nose and pressing back. He felt Professor Im’s hand come up to his neck, resting right below his ear, and grabbed onto his wrist with his own hand, squeezing just a bit.

 

Kihyun’s free hand made his way to Professor Im’s other arm, splaying itself over the serpent, feeling it to his heart’s content. He rubbed it with his thumb, with the rest of his fingers, starting at the base and making his way up. When he reached the sleeve, he pressed his fingers against Professor Im’s arm, just enough for him to feel his blunt nails, and scratched his way back down to the base. He continued this over and over, causing Professor Im to sigh, and bite Kihyun’s bottom lip slightly, which made Kihyun dig his nails just a bit deeper into his arm.

 

Professor Im stood from his seat and moved his hand from Kihyun’s neck down to his waist, pulling him close and continuing to let Kihyun’s other hand run along the serpent. Kihyun’s lungs started to burn, so he placed his palm on the nape of Professor Im’s neck and pulled away slightly, but Professor Im chased his lips, placing open mouthed kisses onto them, while still allowing him to breathe.

 

Kihyun attached his lips onto Professor Im’s fully once again, and just a few seconds passed when Kihyun’s phone pinged and vibrated violently in his pocket, effectively startling them both into breaking the kiss. Kihyun panted, and his eyes widened suddenly once he remembered where he was and realized what just happened.

 

Kihyun squirmed his way out of Professor Im’s arms, breathless and panting.

 

“I-I’m so sorry Professor I don’t-I’m not sure what happened to me just now, I’m sorry. “

 

“Kihyun- “

 

“I promise it won’t happen again, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen this way,” Kihyun said frantically, rushing over to his backpack and straight to the door.

 

“Kihyun, wait, listen to me- “

 

“I’ll see you next week, Professor,” Kihyun exclaimed on his way out, door shutting loudly behind him.

 

Kihyun pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Minhyuk reading a simple “S.O.S,” hands shaking and almost messing it up. He pocketed his phone and took off in the direction of his dorm, intending to sleep his shame away for the rest of the day, remaining lectures be damned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this piece of crap. Please leave me comments, I'll read and reply to them all when I can. And come scream at me about changki on [twitter](http://twitter.com/modeikyun) please I need more changki friends (or just friends) in my life.


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